Maria
Position Info
Global Knowledge Manager [under Knowledge Management/ Corporate Communications organization] in one of the Top 5 Consolidated Agency Networks/ Top 5 Marketing Organizations (2006 Worldwide Revenue Ranking by Advertising Age)
[Editor's Note: Knowledge Management, according to Wikipedia, "comprises a range of practices used by organisations to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge...Many large companies have resources dedicated to Knowledge Management, often as a part of 'Information Technology' or 'Human Resource Management' departments...Knowledge Management programs are typically tied to organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage innovation, lessons learnt transfer (for example between projects) and the general development of collaborative practices." Most large professional services firms centered on people as their key or core assets have knowledge management programs in place.]
Job Insider
Role Description: We are a learning organization. It is our founder’s intrinsic belief in pursuing knowledge that fuels our Agency’s commitment to Knowledge Management (KM). The objective of KM in our Agency is to improve performance by sharing lessons learned and best practice works across teams and offices throughout the entire network. It is this collaborative knowledge sharing practice that sets us apart from other Agencies.
KM in our Agency is comprised of an online application which is available 24/7 to all our employees in ~500 offices/ 100+ cities worldwide, a Knowledge Manager in most of the major offices, and a core global team that manages the whole program, system and community.
The online KM application holds up-to-date network news, thousands of project cases, and profiles of all our employees. The role of a Knowledge Manager in each office is to source, upload and encourage readership of regular content, and to connect local people with others in the network for collaborative work.
As part of the core global team, my role as Global Knowledge Manager is primarily to manage the community of Knowledge Managers by providing: (1) goals of content contribution, employee usage, and application innovations, (2) accessible support to achieve goals, and (3) a collaborative community to coach and energize the group. My secondary role is to regularly connect with top management to: (1) assure them that KM supports the Agency’s business strategy and initiatives, and (2) ensure their continued support for KM and the KM community. And finally, my peripheral function is to manage the KM needs of internal Agency clients; these needs range from promoting previews of global ad campaigns, to developing private brand communities within the KM application, to connecting people with specific needs and expertise.
Typical Day: While there is no typical day, I try to follow a basic morning and afternoon schedule. I spend almost the entire morning answering correspondences (emails, calls, etc.) from Knowledge Managers and KM application users across different time zones.
The afternoon is then spent on managing the [execution of the] requests received from the aforementioned emails and calls, working on internal Agency client projects, and interacting with the core team to maintain the application’s health and to work on new application initiatives.
What I Love About the Job: I love my job because I get to work with people from different countries, all over the world! Interacting with people of all languages and working with different cultures is what truly makes my job rewarding.
Biggest Challenges (also What I Don’t Love About the Job): The part of my job that I find most challenging, but definitely manageable, is working across all time-zones. I have calls/ meetings as early as 5am to as late as 11pm to cover the North America and Asia time differences.
Proudest Accomplishments: We were able to increase the KM application’s monthly unique user base by almost 25% in just 1 year– the highest it’s been since the application’s launch. We achieved this milestone by focusing on community support initiatives which increased the collaboration amongst Knowledge Managers across the network.
Who Would be a Fit with the Role
Personal characteristics:
- Desire to mentor and coach
- Open mind to work with different cultures
- High level of patience to work with different types of people
- Ability to motivate a person, a team, and even an entire organization
- Flexibility and confidence to deal with all levels within an organization
Skills/Education required:
- Analytic Thinking
- Coaching/ Mentoring
- Business Case Writing/ Presentation
- Account/ Client/ Team Management
- Media/ Internet/ Technology Knowledge
Why and How Maria Arrived at Her Job
While working in Account Management in one of our Agency’s Asia offices, I requested to be assigned to our global brand accounts in order to get as much exposure and interaction with regional and global teams. Having an interest in teaching, I also volunteered to be our group’s training leader responsible for orienting new hires about the Agency.
After several years working in that local office, I was asked by one of our global brand teams to work with them in our flagship office in New York. A couple of years into my transfer, I was then encouraged to apply for the Global Knowledge Manager role, a one-of-a-kind position in our Agency.
Long-Term Career Goal/s
If I decide to continue working in the corporate world, I would stay within the Knowledge Management discipline, and expand into global training.
If I decide not to continue on the corporate route, I would take my knowledge sharing/ training career into teaching/ education.
Advice to Job-Seekers for the Same or a Similar Position
If you are working in a company that has global positions, be aggressive in mapping out and implementing your career plan in order to stand out.
